


Stargazing

by sunshinedesires



Series: Spider-Man: Homecoming [1]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming, peter parker - Fandom, tom holland - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Marvel Universe, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Puppy Love, Spider-Man: Homecoming - Freeform, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 07:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12452754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinedesires/pseuds/sunshinedesires
Summary: Tony Starks daughter, Carmen Stark, and Peter Parker are best friends. There's nothing they won't do together and there's not a doubt they always have fun together. It's been a few months since Spider-man first joined the crew, and what people don't know - not even the two of them - is how completely smitten they are with each other. But, that's not something a starry sky and a windy rooftop can't fix...





	Stargazing

The laughter erupting and the loud talking from downstairs sippers through the crack underneath my door even after I close it. Thats just what it’s like being none other than Tony Stark’s daughter — there just is no escape from the endless parties what feels like every other day, celebrating each success his company gets, no matter how small. It's not that I’m not grateful, or proud, because my dad is the most admirable man I’ve ever met and I’m not trying to take that away from him.

Like always when my dad hosts some kind of party, though, of course it's never just a limited amount of people that come. It eventually gets overcrowded and there’s not many ways to escape it all. I can’t quiet them down, and I’m not allowed to join them to at least some times feel like any other normal teenager either. My dad isn't fond of me attending parties to begin with, especially not when most of the people that go to his parties are all about ten years older than me. 

I do enjoy The Avengers, though, of course. They’re all great and they’ve become sort of an extended family to me at this point. They all stick up for my dad no matter what, and they’re extremely genuinely good people. Genuine but loud. And cocky. Of course they deserve the attention and praise they get, they’re doing an incredible job. But if they’re going to constantly celebrate every tiny win — does it have to be in my home? In the long run it’s annoying, trust me. And lonely.

My dad always believes me when I tell him I’m bringing friends over whenever he’s throwing another party. Sometimes I do, but very rarely. Mostly I try to get some homework done, or maybe read a book if the party is unusually quiet, or I do one of my favorite things to do at night living in New York — I go to the roof to admire the incredible view we have. It’s all very lonely though, and I guess it's hard for people to imagine Tony Stark’s daughter to be lonely.

I kind of bring it upon myself a lot of times too, though, because I know one person who would never let me spend a single night alone. Peter. He’s one of the very few reasons I still stand living in New York; his charm — although awkward — is hard to resist. But being the way I am, and the _person_ I am, most of the time I’m way too closed up around him. We’re great friends now because it’s been a while since my dad first recruited him, but with the confidence my dad has given me I use it as a wall of security. It’s hard for me to admit that I enjoy Peter’s company more than I let on.

My confidence just makes it easier to be a closed off person who always keeps their walls up. But I see how much Peter cares for me and I really want to let him know that I _know_ — I’ve just never been taught how else to handle things like that other than playing it cool. Which is stupid, of course, but still a very true reality for me. That's one of the things a Stark does best. And although I know that he’s downstairs right now celebrating with all the other people, there is a part of me that doesn’t really want him to know that I really, really want to see him. If only he knew how much my heart flutters when I see him, or how bad my palms sweat at the simple sound of his voice filling a room…

But when you’re raised by someone tough and closed up with great confidence, that’s the standard you grow comfortable with. So, when you meet someone who somehow manages to shake the entire foundation your personality is built on, your body’s first reaction is the one close to having to choose between fight or flight. For me, it’s a combination of both. I’m too proud yet also too scared to show Peter how I really feel. It’s simply easier to just be friends.

But just as I’m about to step away from the door, I hear some shuffling right below the stairs that catches my attention.

”Mr. Stark, I think I’m going to head home, Aunt May’s probably waiting,” Peter unsurely calls out, and I smile to myself at the sound of him still referring to my dad as ’Mr. Stark.’

I open my door slightly and step out into the hallway so that I can hear the following conversation be played out. It’s all really just a lame excuse for me to find a conversation starter with Peter so that he might stay around for a little while and keep me company, but of course I’m never going to admit that. At least not out loud to anyone.

”Didn't she say midnight? That's not until another two hours!” Steve shouts back, not giving my dad a chance to reply. 

”Yeah, I know, but I need to get some homework done, too,” Peter defends, although it more sounds like he just wants an excuse to get away from the party. Which I don't blame him for — he’s by far the youngest person there and probably also wants to be just a normal teenager.

I hear him make his way towards the elevator, and I — probably not as discreetly as I think — walk out down the stairs and pretend to be shocked to see him putting his jacket and backpack on. The loud noises from the living room seem to completely vanish as I relish in the sight of Peter in a navy blue shirt and black jeans. Though it feels like my heart could explode, I just put on a small smile and approach him.

”Peter?” I ask.

He whips around and if I didn't know better I’d swear the breath got knocked right out of his chest. That's probably more wishful thinking than reality though, as I’ve grown familiar to his awkward mannerisms by now. He raises his eyebrows and holds more tightly on to the strap of his backpack, as his lips curl into a small and curious smile.

”Oh, Carmen, hey,” he sounds surprised to see me.

”Are you leaving?” I ask, even though it’s obvious that he was in fact just about to step into the elevator.

”Uh, yeah— well, I was—” he stutters.

”Can't you stay for a little while and hang out?” I interrupt his stuttering with a chuckle.

”Yeah!” he exclaims. ”I mean, if you want to hang out I’m still free.”

”I thought you had homework to do?” Tony calls out, arriving into the hallway with an eyebrow raised suspiciously. He looks back and forth between me and Peter, before trying to be discreet as he rolls his eyes. ”Don't be so down, Carmen, the boy has to do his homework. It’s not his fault he wasn’t born with the intellect of a Stark.”

Though I know my dad’s joking, his words make me uneasily nervous. Throughout the years he’s been extremely careful when it comes to me and the type of people I come in contact with, and I couldn't even begin to explain how detailed his rules for my dating life are. ”If he’s not a normal human, just forget it” is what he usually says. Not that he knows about the reality of my feelings for Peter — but I just _know_ it bothers him that we’re such good friends.

Of course he doesn't care whenever I hang out with Steve or Sam or Clint, since they’re all adults. But, the fact that me and Peter are the exact same age bothers him, so he’s constantly keeping an eye on us whenever we hang out. On occasion I hear him and Pepper discuss the closeness of our friendship, and at least _she’s_ mature enough to not mind as much as dad does. ”If anything is going to happen, it’s going to happen, Tony — none of us can prevent it” she once said.

Which means that if by any chance Peter actually feels something else for me too, then I know she’s got our backs. The only problem is my way of always bringing my wall up around Peter, and Peter being surprisingly hard to read. Sometimes I can't tell if he seems nervous around me or if it's just his normal, awkward behavior shining through as always. 

”Uh, homework can always wait until tomorrow,” Peter nervously stammers. 

Dad keeps flickering his eyes between us, before seemingly giving in. ”Fine. But that door _will_ stay open and I will make sure a car is waiting to take you home shortly before midnight. Is that clear, Parker?”

”Yes, sir,” Peter nods firmly, though his eyes look like a lost puppy’s would.

I on the other hand just roll my eyes before I ’nonchalantly’ grab Peter’s hand as I head back up the stairs. To the extent I can, I try to ignore the electricity rummaging through my every cell due to the skin on skin contact, and try to focus my attention on to something else. Like how he’ll react upon seeing my room for the very first time. Most people are shocked, to be honest, and something tells me Peter won’t exactly be an exception.

And besides, dad’s extreme need to always know what me and Peter are up to have led to us constantly hanging out either in the living room or in any of the labs in Stark Tower. Adding that on top of me playing everything cool with him, I get the impression that he has no idea what to expect. Then again, nobody stepping foot into the tower ever really know what to expect. There’s something about my dad’s wealth that overwhelms people over and over again.

We approach my door and I reluctantly let go of his hand as I open the door and step to the side to let him in first. The entire right wall in my room is covered in windows from the floor to the ceiling, with an incredible sight over the city, and that is also the thing that seems to baffle people the most. Peter slowly enters the room, as if he’s unsure whether he dares to or not, and it's in pure awe that I watch him take everything in.

His mouth falls slightly agape when he sees the windows, and he walks over to take a moment to soak in the sight of the city. Night time is the best time — all the lights illuminating every corner mesmerizes me every time I take a look. Peter’s eyes flicker around at everything going on in this lively city, before he turns around and takes in the rest of my room.

My bed, located against the wall in the center of the room, my desk, the doors to my embarrassingly big closet. Everything. And everything seems to fascinate him. It's almost like I can hear his mind working to put all of this together combined with whatever he had cooked up inside his head. I don't really care too much about any of these things that my dad is so gracious in giving me — fancy things like a walk in closet or the most expensive technology have always sort of bored me. Real, genuine people and things are more interesting.

”I bet this is nothing compared to the sights you get to see on a daily basis,” I smile and nod toward the windows.

Peter looks back over his shoulder before meeting my eyes. He laughs a little as he lowers his gaze to the ground again, ”No, actually this is way better.”

”Liar,” I tease. ”How so?”

”This is more still,” he says, his voice coming out as soft as the touch of a feather. Then he cracks open a toothy smile — that to me could end wars — before he continues, ”This is less hectic than when you’re rushing past everything to save the day.”

” _Oh_ ,” I laugh as I sit down on to the edge of my bed. ”I can't exactly relate but I’m sure that's true.”

He laughs, a beautiful sound I’ll never get over, as he slowly walks around the room to look at everything. I pull my legs up from the ground and change into a criss-cross position as I silently admire him. It's honestly crazy how one can be so smitten with someone, yet be so discreet about it. I do consider myself good at hiding emotions, but still. To me it's crazy that Peter doesn't understand himself how wonderful he is. He could have _anyone_ he wanted.

Because Peter is that kind of person that you instantly like before he’s even had the chance to open his mouth. I remember back when my dad went to recruit him, and I thought he was going to be one of those annoyingly arrogant people. I’d seen Spider-man online, of course, and how extremely skillful he was, so that was just what I expected. Of course, as I know today, he is the complete opposite of arrogant.

I’ve never met someone as humble and down-to-earth as Peter, despite all the things he can do. He just wants to do good things because he can. In fact, he once told me he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did nothing with his powers — because ”when you can do the things I can, and you choose not to do anything and something actually happens, that's on you.” Sometimes when I see him after a battle, acting all tough even though he’s all bruised up, I feel like his sweet personality doesn't really mix well with ass-kicking Spider-man. But his confidence and belief in himself grows more and more thanks to his powers, which I feel does him good.

”I thought your dad said you have friends over?” he asks, hesitantly sitting down next to me.

” _Ah_ ,” I chuckle. ”The lie my dad always believes. I almost never have friends over, the reality is that I do homework or read books.”

”Wait…so you’ve been alone all night?” he asks, visibly disliking that fact.

”Yeah,” I shrug.

”You should’ve told me! We could have gotten out of here to do something else,” he exclaims, eyes widening and enthusiasm glowing bright inside them.

I just laugh and smile fondly at him. ”It’s okay, you’re here now, right?”

”Yeah, so what do you want to do?” his brown eyes are still glistening with excitement. 

I look into his eyes and if I weren’t as stubborn as I know I am, I’d kiss him right here, right now. Because he’s here and he’s Peter and he’s so… _wonderful_. But, instead I shrug and laugh and tell him it doesn't really matter to me, but suggest going to the roof if he’d like that. And in turn he laughs and says anything is fine, and I assure him it's up to him.

”Well, if it's really up to me, let’s go to the roof then,” he smiles and stands up from the bed.

”Sure!” I chirp and stand up next to him, and head towards the door.

”Wait, you don’t think we’re taking the elevator do you?” he stops me in my tracks.

I turn around in confusion and see him walking towards the windows. He looks studies the windows  for a short moment, and as he finally finds the lock both at the top and at the bottom, he beings opening them. For some reason, I stay still though. I’m not particularly scared of heights, but this seems like an overall crazy idea. Not that I wouldn’t trust him climbing up to the roof, but _with_ me? 

”Well?” he chuckles as he looks at me over his shoulder. ”Hop on!” 

I just laugh and roll my eyes, and even though this still doesn’t seem logical to me, there’s no way I could possibly deny him. And as I walk over to jump up on to his back, I can’t help but smile to myself. This truly and perfectly describes the type of relationship we have with each other. Sure, I’m hopelessly falling head over heels in love with him day by day, but still. We’re those friends who joke around and mess around while also having the ability to talk about deeper things. 

The close proximity of our faces as I cling to his back and wrap my arms around him isn’t exactly something new. We have no problem of switching between playfully wrestling each other - where I just _know_ Peter lets me win because even though I know I have no actual chance of beating him, it brings me joy in pretending I can - to walking around with our arms hooked together and practically holding hands.

Either way, without any regards to my secret feelings towards him, he grabs one hand tightly on to the edge of the open window as he leans out and places the opposite foot on the outside of the window. Slowly but surely, both of his feet and both of his hands are placed on the outside of the window, and my grip around him seems to tighten more and more by every second. Though the view is amazing, as he climbs towards the roof I can’t bring myself to take a look over my shoulder.

”If I fall, you’re a dead man,” I joke with a nervous laughter.

” _If_ you fall — and that's a very unreasonable if — I’ll catch you,” he replies confidently, and although I can’t see his face I can hear the smile lingering on his lips.

”You better,” I tease and wrap my arms tighter around his neck.

”Well, I don't know if you know or if you’ve heard, but I have pretty decent reflexes,” he laughs.

I roll my eyes, but can't help but laugh as well. Even though I feel like such an inconvenience clinging to his back like this, Peter seems to move utterly effortlessly up the building as if my extra weight is nothing at all. The way he swiftly and steadily keeps putting one hand in front of the other and keeping perfect balance impresses me, although I’ve seen him as Spider-man countless times. But the times I’ve seen his powers this up close are however more limited.

My dad practically _forbids_ me from ever being remotely close to the ”action”. It doesn't even matter how small of a mission it is, he worries himself sick about me. Which I, in a way, understand. He’s my dad and he wants to protect me and all that. But I am an adult now and although I don't have any powers, I can take care of myself. Sure, it's not that I want to go with them when they’re defeating a super evil villain who wants world dominance, but for the smaller missions there’s hardly any risk of me putting my life in danger. So, that annoys me.

Peter’s hands grab the edge of the roof, as he seemingly without putting too much effort into it pulls both of us over it, and on to the concrete floor. I slowly put my feet on the ground and release my iron grip around his neck. For a couple of milliseconds, we stand like that, with my body practically glued to his back, but my heart starts beating too fast for my liking so it doesn't take very long before I take a few steps away. 

”Hey, I’m sorry my dad is still such a jerk to you about our friendship,” I say as I lean my arms against the edge and rest my chin against them, admiring the city below us.

”What? No, no, it's okay,” he chuckles and tries to sound assertive, even though I can see him purposely lower his gaze to the floor.

”No, it’s not,” I counter with a smile, turning to look at him. ”I don't even know why he is to begin with. It’s kind of unfair.”

”I mean, in a way I guess I, uh, understand it actually,” Peter replies. ”You’re living a risky life just by being his daughter, so I mean I can see that he doesn't want anyone to endanger you even more.”

”And how many times have you seen me endanger my life since you joined us several months back?” I ask, cocking an eyebrow up as I lean my back against the edge, resting my elbows behind me.

”Well, you have a point. But Mr Stark—” he says, but stops and laughs as he corrects himself after me grimacing at him calling my dad that. ” _Tony_ , is a very assertive man. He likes his own rules.”

I laugh, both because of the way he said it and because of how true it is. Once my dad has made his mind up about how a certain thing should be, it’s practically impossible to change his mind. It doesn't even matter what it is, it’s everything from my sleeping schedule to how The Avengers go on rescue missions. Everything has to be black and white with him, and although I’ve tried to get him to understand that the world doesn't always work like that, it’s just like Peter says. He’s very keen about his own set of rules.

Peter laughs as well, but he stops sooner as he bites his lower lip and looks down at the floor again. I can tell there’s something on his mind, but there’s no use to ask him about it. He’d just deny it and then I’d never find out what it was. He’s always been a thinker for as long as I’ve known him, but when I think about when he just joined my dad and the rest of them and his powers were still somewhat new, and then compare that guy to the one standing in front of me tonight, it only feels like his thinking has increased. 

I mean, he has at several occasions tried to explain to me how having his powers feels. All I really understand from it all is that his senses are heightened, which gives his mind a thousand more things to process than before. Adding that onto already being a thinker and basically an analyzer, I understand that he has to really sort out whatever it is that’s going on inside his head before really doing or saying anything. 

”Can I—”

”We should—”

Both of us stop, look at each other and laugh a little. We just look at each other, and with that fond smile lingering on his lips and the way my heart won’t stop thumping, anyone would think we’re looking at each other too long to just be friends. At least that’s what it feels like to me. I mean, I know my heart doesn’t beat like this when I look at my other friends. And I also know that right here, right now, I’d rather just kiss him. 

Because Peter is Peter. And he’s here, and he’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever had the luck of knowing, inside out. His brown eyes still shine like the sun even though the sky is dark above us. And though this is a thousand year old cliché, I could easily just drown in his eyes forever. And a part of me is nervous for what’s going to happen next. I’ve never really allowed myself to get so close to someone before, and Peter is the first person I feel comfortable letting my walls down for. Yet, I’m still so scared of actually doing it.

But, Peter is the first person I have struggle reading. He’s fidgety by nature and his charmingly awkward mannerisms sometimes confuse me. As they do right now as he bites into his lower lip and shuffles with his feet a little bit. I wouldn’t say I’m great at reading people normally, but the way he makes me feel along with his entire personality is enough for me to just be one big question mark around him. 

”Can I ask you a question?” he says quietly, barely enough for me to hear him.

”Yeah, of course,” I reply, nervously pulling the sleeves of my hoodie down a little further.

I watch Peter take a deep breath before he averts his eyes back to mine, after watching the ground for a little while, and the way he holds my gaze locked totally mesmerizes me. There’s something about the feeling radiating off him that captivates me and I almost urge him on to just ask whatever he wants to ask. His eyebrows twitches slightly as his tongue darts out to wet his lips, as if he’s contemplating whether or not he still wants to ask me something.

Then he takes a small step closer to me and he never lets my eyes leave his even for a split second. The fond expression on his face calms me and I take a smaller, tiny even, step closer to him as well. My heart starts beating faster and harder and if possible, even louder, too. And we’re still almost two meters apart.  
  
”Can I kiss you?” 

My heart stops. At least I, for a second, genuinely believe it does. The loud thumping quiets down and I give myself a moment to breathe. Did Peter Parker, also known as Spider-man and the most amazing person this earth has to offer, really just ask if he can kiss me? Though it feels like I’ve been waiting for this for a few weeks, months even, now that it’s really happening I can’t bring myself to any sort of reaction.

Fight or flight is how I usually describe my feelings for Peter, and most of the times it’s a crazy mixture of them both. But this? This really doesn’t come close to anything I’ve ever experienced in his presence before. And before I can really choose how to react, my body and mind apparently choose to decide for me.

I practically _rush_ up to him, and for the first time ever in the way I _really_ want to, I place my hands on each side of his delicate face. And then that’s that. There is no time to think this over. There’s no need for hesitation or analyzing whatever might come next. There’s just me and him. Me and the person I feel most close to on this entire planet underneath the thousands of stars illuminating us.

And then there’s lips. Wildly soft and adrenaline-like lips, that make me feel nothing but warmth and comfort. The shape of his lips encompass mine and it’s not like anything I could ever have dreamt of. And then there’s hands. Clumsy and awkward but nice and electric hands, gently finding their way to my hips as if it’s the first time they ever do such a thing. 

And boy, do I smile into the kiss. We’re both eager and I can barely feel where his excitement ends and mine begins. Our tongues slightly grace against each other but that’s almost it. The feeling of Peter’s - _Peter’s!_ \- lips on mine is enough to make me feel like I’m levitating. 

Then we stop, just inches apart, and look into each others eyes. And for a moment we stay like that. His warm breath tickles my cheeks and the way his gorgeous eyes still shine brightly even though the only bright thing anywhere even remotely near us is the stars. They’re all thousands and millions of miles away and his eyes still manage to reflect their spark, it’s almost magical. Then again, it’s Peter.

Peter Parker. One of the absolute smartest people I know and not to mention _the_ absolute prettiest boy I will ever lay my eyes on. It doesn’t surprise me that his eyes manage to shine like this even in the night. Even if the sky was pitch black and all the stars had gone missing, his personality alone would be enough to make his eyes spark like a bonfire.  
  
And in this very moment with my lips just inches away from his.. I’m pretty sure this is it. This is what the peak of happiness feels like. Standing so close to him makes me feel completely and utterly at peace. It’s just like his entire personality embraces me in warmth and brings me nothing but joy, and there is no other place or person that makes me feel like this. With him I’m simply home.

”Wow, uh-” Peter is the first one to break the silence.  
  
We take small step away from each other and Peter places his thumb and index finger on to his bottom lip. Before I have the chance to reply or he has the chance to say something more, both of us laugh. His laughter bubbles up which makes my stomach turn in all the good ways.  
  
”What?” I smile widely.

”I, uh, wanted to do that first,” he laughs and walks right back up to me and cups his delicate hands around my face.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Spider-man au/one shot/imagine/whatever?? and I hope you like it! I obsess easily and Tom Holland as Peter Parker really triggered that talent of mine! Enjoy :))


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